Released on March 1, 2018
HWY-043.1
Digital
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Notes
"Auckland" is the lead single from Hoferlanz II which is the second album from LANZ aka Benjamin Lanz. Mostly written while touring as a member of indie music all-stars The National, Beirut & Sufjan Stevens, his own music sounds completely different from that of the artists he tours with. Says Ben: “While I admire the force and freedom of artistic recluses, I’m an outward-looking guy by nature – so I just end up writing some really weird hooks!” In LANZ's music, acoustic guitars mingle with drum machines. Time signatures swerve back and forth. Searing electric guitar licks make their way across the frame. Horns underline cryptic pop lyrics sung in bursts of catchiness — earworms abutting earworms. Good luck getting these melodies unstuck from the jukebox in your brain!
We'll let Ben take it from here:
"I am a man that is accustomed to travel and I find that travel provides, through the disorientation of time, geography, and environment the most honest space for me to reflect on where I live, who I/we are and how we fit. This is where Auckland started. As a kernel of an idea, a square wave filtering of a meditative note, lonely and far from home, yet free from this removal from geographical familiarity to reflect on my space in our spaces, our unchosen, surreal reality that the people buying and selling their way to power are by nature, the worst people on the face of the earth."
"The note, which prismed into notes was captured in a rush, as sound check ended and during a period of predictively normal human reluctance to do anything quickly, I matter of factly sampled the discovery, bringing it back to my hotel room and promptly expanding it into a tone poem of sorts, tentatively titled 'Fascist Jock Itch' (potentially available in full sometime soon). But the root idea, the original note infected me and affected me, in a similar and entirely complimentary reflective fashion; my disoriented meditation on why the central structure of civilization is generally controlled by bullies, aka the weak who must obtain power to, at all costs avoid reflecting on their own weakness and the pointless absurdity of power and control."
"So, in this way, from this traveller's reflection and as has always been the question for humanity (can geography solve sadness?) the song sprang out of this electroACOUSTIC rumination, replacing the collaged abstraction of the tone poem with a groove and an encapsulated bass melody that begged for these exact vocals."
"'Auckland' also tells the story of standing up to bullies. Their time is numbered. Let's care about things more fun than power and money. Here are the lyrics:"
They might be giants and they,
they might conceit themselves
and then they line up with the holding heirs.
Up acting flirting minstrels
they might just save me from you
and I'm left standing on the folding chair.
And they'll say...
Feed the fire the same way.
You might just like it, like it how we say.
Feed the fire the old way.
You won't be watching, watching when they pay.
They might be giants and they,
they've always loved us all.
They stuff their pockets with your blank dismay.
Don't want to drink they're Cool Aid. Don't want to wind wind they're watches.
Don't want to hear their voices as they say
and they'll say...
Feel the way we bring it down.
Feel the way we bring it down.
All the time it's...
Ooeeooeeooeeooeeooh, in to the shining sun.
Ooeeooeeooeeooeeooh, in to the shining sun.
They might be giants, but they,
they might just slay themselves
and then I'll line like the ghostly heir.
Stand up and take your blessings.
Count each and every day.
To skip a breath is how they make you pay.
And I'll say...
Ooeeooeeooeeooeeooh, in to the shining sun.
Ooeeooeeooeeooeeooh, in to the shining sun.